Kaitlin: Were you interested in any
other colleges?
SS: The other colleges that I was interested
in were Northern Illinois University and
UIC.
Kaitlin: What are some of the things
that were difficult for you while filling
out the applications? And what was easy?
SS: What was difficult about filling
out the applications was when they asked
me for my GPA score because my senior
year I did not do well at all. The applications
also require you to give your test scores
and your original transcript, and to write
a few essays. I enjoyed writing the essays
because I love to write, and I am a good
test taker, so writing down my test scores
wasn't as bad as writing down my GPA.
The best part about the college application
process was filling out the common application
because I could use that application for
any school and not have to worry about
filling out different applications over
and over.
Kaitlin: How were you feeling around
this time of filling out college applications?
And how did you cope with your feelings?
SS: Around this time I was feeling anxious
and nervous because I felt like I couldn't
go trough with the process it took to
get into college. If it weren't for the
people who stayed by my side and supported
me constantly I would not have probably
been where I am today. That's why I stress
that it's always good to surround yourself
with people who care for you and are interested
in helping you.
Kaitlin: In your two most important junior
and senior years how did you manage your
time and organize yourself?
SS: I kept a journal and pocket notebook,
and wrote down the schools that I was
interested in and the applications that
I had sent off, and then I checked off
the applications to the colleges I had
already got a response to. So I just organized
every important piece of information in
my notebook, because if you're not organized
you pass up important due dates and meetings
and just important things that can really
make a big difference in whether or not
you get accepted in certain colleges.
Kaitlin: How did you prep for the ACT
and SAT?
SS: My high school, Amundsen, did a really
good job in making sure the students practiced
and prepared for the SAT and ACT test.
Sometimes they would just dedicate days
for learning about how to prepare for
the test. I went to the counselor's office
and got a practice workbook from her so
from time to time I would study and do
practice problems which helped me a lot.
I also took Saturday ACT prep classes,
and those classes were really nice because
they were small and had great tutors in
there to help me with any problems I had.
I heard about the classes through my counselor,
any information you want or need it is
great to go to your school counselor,
social worker, or someone you trust.
Kaitlin: What other methods did you use
to help you with grades in high school
and studying for important tests?
SS: I remember Gabe telling me to try
and surround myself with smart people,
and that advice helped a lot because when
I sat with the smart people they were
able to inform me about certain things
that the teacher couldn't inform me about.
Also, by talking to others who were at
a higher level than me I was able to challenge
myself to see where I was suppose to be
or if I was right where I needed to be.
Kaitlin: What is your college like?
SS: It is a private college, not that
many students, kind of reminds me of my
high school. The school focuses on primarily
business because it's a business school.
Kaitlin: Are you happy at the college
you attend?
SS: Yes. I am happy at the time because
the atmosphere is great but its just that
I know I want to move on to bigger and
better universities because I want to
go into the medical field.
Kaitlin: What was hard for you and easy
for you during your first year?
SS: What was hard for me during my first
year was adapting to a new environment
and adjusting to the work because the
work was much different than what I was
accustomed to in high school.
Kaitlin: How was the work different in
college than in high school?
SS: I guess it wasn't the work. It was
just the different rubric in college,
because in college you get all your homework
and stuff ahead of time so that you know
what you have to turn in at a certain
time. The transition from high school
to college is just a little weird at first
because you're becoming more and more
independent and you're learning how to
handle different situations in different
ways. You have to know when the best time
for doing homework is, when the best time
for taking breaks is, and most importantly
studying for tests.
Kaitlin: How did you adjust to your surroundings,
and college life?
SS: I really wasn't worried too much
about making friends because I was so
focused on doing what I had to do to become
successful. I was quiet and didn't want
to be distracted. I got a lot of advice
from my family members; Project Exploration
and old friends from high school that
I graduated with. As time went on I became
more comfortable with my schedule. I always
kept in touch with counselors still because
in college there are a lot of people who
will support you if you go to them for
help.
Kaitlin: What's the difference between
high school and college?
SS: The major difference is that you
become more independent. For example,
your teachers are not going to make sure
you turn in your homework or hunt you
down to make sure you're doing what you're
suppose to do. In college you have to
make your own decisions and they have
to be the ones that you feel most comfortable
with. They cannot be decisions made based
on what other people want because if you
don't pay attention to yourself first,
you will find yourself in a lot of stressful
situations that sometimes you might not
be able to get out of.
Kaitlin: Are you involved in any extra-curricular
activities, clubs, athletics etc?
SS: Yes, I was heavily involved with
Project Exploration. And I also did a
lot of volunteer work at medical clinics
for my career. I joined the medical assistant
club at my school and did internships
at clinics. Networking is very important
when you get in college because that is
how you get closer and closer to what
you want to do in life. For example, I
was talking to my little brother's pediatrician
and I told her about my interest in the
medical field so she was able to get me
an internship with a medical clinic. That
opportunity helped me out a great deal
in getting to know what profession I really
want to go in.
Kaitlin: Do you have a job? If so where
do you work?
SS: No, I do not have a job right now
other than doing lots of volunteer work
and internships.
Kaitlin: How do you balance your time?
SS: Balancing time is not that big of
an issue for me right now because I just
do whatever I have to do to prepare myself.
Kaitlin: Is your school tuition high?
If so, what types of aid helped you in
paying the tuition?
SS: My tuition is $4,500 a semester,
which is high to me. Again, schools are
always willing to help you get any assistance
you need whether its financially, academically
or even socially. The admission advisors
at different colleges are always good
people to communicate with; they can give
you information about financial aid, loans,
scholarships, and much more.
Kaitlin: Are their any websites or other
information that you can refer to students
for scholarship and financial aid info?
SS: Yes some good websites that I remember
were www.makingitcount.com, www.fastweb.com and www.yourfuture.com.
Project Exploration gave me a lot of excellent
resources too.
